Miscellaneous Photos

Here are a few updates from around the house.  First, the Cornell Garage doors look great painted and the belt drive is super quiet.

We went with old fashioned hot water heaters rather than the propane tankless models.

The ceiling fan in the master is mounted high so we can fit our tall wrought iron bed.

A couple of views in Emily's office, the doors and the file cabinets...

We moved the elk from the garage to my office to make more room. Even with 12 foot ceilings the elk makes it look smaller.

Here's a view of the entertainment center from the kitchen.

And another view from the kitchen...

Kitchen

In the background you can see the vent hood which now has the fan installed and working (the fan blower is mounted on the roof).  Gabby is actively working on the backsplash, which consists primarily of 3"x8" Jerusalem stone subway tiles.  A pencil mold of the same stone frames a hand made marble mosaic tile that runs horizontally the length of the counter.  In the center, under the vent hood, is polished carrara.  The idea was to bring together the colors of the floor and counter and tie them together in the backsplash.

Here's my Dad "supervising" Felix the master plumber as he works on the complicated install of the foot pedals for the kitchen sink.

And a view of the installed foot pedals.  These are great features - you can step on hot or cold without ever having to touch the sink faucet to get the water flowing.  These are from a medical supply company and are the same stainless steel and brass ones used in hospitals.

The island, which is painted a base coat of gray as you can see in the photo above, will be faux finished to look like the sample on the left below.

The vent hood top will be plastered and faux painted to look like the cloudy bit on the left sample above.  The window cleaners were in yesterday to clear off the gunk accumulated from the painting/staining/etc.

Guest Bath

The guest bath has a contemporary look.  Textured porcelain tiles on the floor and shower, with green glass tiles for accent in the shower and for the backsplash.  The vanity is beautiful solid walnut and we selected chrome pulls and fixtures throughout.

We splurged and went with a frameless glass door for the tub (not installed yet).  That way when you enter the room and look in the large mirror above the sink you will have a clear view of the tub.

Our laundry room is not huge but looks like it will be plenty big.  I have had to custom order a few items for the house that the commercial supply places couldn't get in time - I have found the Internet to carry the same brands, but with better selection, better prices, and quicker delivery in many cases.  The utility sink is a case in point - we were able to get a large and deep sink that fills the cabinet.

We had to raise the cabinet 7 inches to allow our extra large HE washer to open, and to provide room for the faucet.  We chose a slate remnant for the sink which turned out great.  After seeing it in person I think we would have considered this for the kitchen instead of the marble we selected.  The slated is very practical and has good natural looks.

Master Bath

In the master we put 12"x24" porcelain tiles on the floor.  We used carrara marble for the countertops, bathtub surround, window sills, and shower seat.  The tub apron is split face carrara. The shower is glass tile and marble rounds on the floor.  The fixtures are polished nickel.  Still to come are the fancy glass tiles for the backsplash around vanities and tub.

We are also awaiting our mirrors and the frameless shower door.  We went with a simple shower fixture instead of a deluxe rain or horizontal spray type.  But the frameless door will seal the whole shower enclosure, which is tiled throughout, for steamy showers.

Floors

A few unexpected health issues have prevented posting, but work continues on the house.  We selected a moderately priced natural stone floor - travertine - in an unfilled, chipped edge, versaille pattern.

We laid it 1/16th apart and chose a grout color to match the stone.

It actually makes the room look larger.  We are putting hardwood in most of the house, Mirage engineered in "aged maple brownie" with wide planks and a matte finish.  We started by prepping the existing concrete floors with diamond sanding, then textured and floated them to make them level.

The floor is a premium (expensive) brand with a thick hardwood layer so to ensure we wouldn't have moisture issues later we put down Bostik MVP, which is a thick, rubbery moisture and sound barrier.

The stairs also required considerable prep work to level and straighten.   The floor was glued down using Bostik adhesive.

Here are a few pics of the floor in different areas.